Cessna 188A accident near New Hartford, Missouri, July 16, 2007
On July 16, 2007 at about 1:05 pm local time, a Cessna 188A, registered N4412Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Hartford, Missouri. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the tree line during the turn between aerial application passes. The low altitude, the downdraft encountered by the pilot, and the trees were contributing factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2007 · about 1:05 pm local time
- Place
- New Hartford, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188A · all 188As on the register
- Registration
- N4412Q · registry record · serial 18800812
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and terrain during an agricultural application pass. The pilot stated that he had completed one pass and was turning back to make another when he encountered a "thermal." The airplane was approximately 150 feet above ground level in a 45-degree "plus" banked turn at the time. He noted that as he started to rollout, the airplane began to "sink in what seem[ed] to be a thermal." The airplane was about 40 feet above and 250 feet in front of a tree line at the time of the encounter. The pilot stated: "I added full power [and] lowered the nose, [but] was unable to recover from the thermal." The airplane contacted the trees and "with all lift gone and more trees ahead," he elected to land in the cornfield. The pilot reported no failures or malfunctions associated with the airplane prior to the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 25,017 hours in all; 12,000 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 24,773 as pilot in command; 3,754 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,495 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: H19 Bowling Green MO at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:54 pm from UIN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.